Resumen

FERNANDES, Sílvia. Pathway to technological convergence and the potential of smart cities: An interpretive approach. NTQR [online]. 2022, vol.14, e590.  Epub 01-Ago-2022. ISSN 2184-7770.  https://doi.org/10.36367/ntqr.14.2022.e590.

Covid-19 and other challenges have affected many activities and sectors. The habits and behaviors of people and workers have changed considerably. This is where the use of technologies and connections, virtual reality and remote support can make a difference. Companies and cities were forced to quickly adapt to new challenges. Smart city projects reveal great potential in connecting people to goods/services like never before. Furthermore, the data obtained from the underlying technological convergence can drive more efficient decisions. This work, using an interpretive approach, intends to investigate at what level Portugal is ready to respond to the accelerated process that the current context demands from cities. Portuguese companies have developed a good capacity for entrepreneurship and innovation. However, they still reveal a relative delay in converting acquired knowledge into results (sales/exports). And there is still low collaboration at the public-private level. This is reflected in terms of using the internet to interact with public services. It is interesting to note, through the proposed methodology, that there is a set of priority aspects, common to smart cities, that influence the direction of national innovation. This leads us to consider that the dimensions of the national innovation system must be aligned with the objectives of the regional innovation systems. One lesson that can be drawn is that a concrete map of potentially digital cities in the country is increasingly needed to make it clearer where to act in order to positively influence the national innovation ecosystem in line with the European strategy.

Palabras clave : Digital transformation; Smart city; Innovation; Interpretive approach.

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